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Food & Environment. Teaching Global Issues

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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 369 673 SO 023 336 AUTHOR Gage, Susan TITLE Food & Environment. Teaching Global Issues. INSTITUTION Victoria International Development Education Association (British Columbia). SPONS AGENCY Canadian International Development Agency, Ottawa (Ontario). PUB DATE 89 NOTE 10p. AVAILABLE FROMTeachergram, Victoria International Development Education Association, 407-620 View Street, Victoria, British Columbia V8W IJ6, Canada ($1 Canadian). PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Teaching Guides (For Teacher)(052) Collected Works Serials (022) JOURNAL CIT Teachergram; Fall 1989 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Agricultural Production; *Agriculture; Developed Nations; Developing Nations; *Environmental Influences; Foreign Countries; High Schools; *Land Use; Learning Activities; Natural Resources; *Physical Environment; Social Studies IDENTIFIERS British Columbia; *Environmental Impact; Environmental Problems; Sustainable Development ABSTRACT Through articles and activities designed for the senior secondary level, students examine the food production system in British Columbia and the world and explore creative, sustainable alternatives for food production. A description of raising food in the first world with the critical issues of energy use and environmental degradation precedes a description of raising food in developing nations. An article explains how agricultural experts work with traditional farmers in some areas to understand soil conservation methods of the farmers and to improve traditional methods. Five activities encourage students to look at issues that surround food production and the environment. Lists of 11 audio-visual resources and 19 organizations provide further information about food and environment issues. (CK) ********************************************************** ,c********** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. * wn**::**').1 ***************************************A***)."********* 4 Food & Environment Teaching Global Issues Teachergram, Fall 1989 U S. DEPARTMENT OF wucancom othce ot Educational Roseerch and ImPtOeller4111 EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) I...Ms document hal been /W00% Zed AS received from th p40011 O orgenaChon or.omatino Woof changes have been made 10 041X0v reoroduCtion Pomts of 'neve or orsmonis stolid In this docu- ment do not nacssaray repreeent official OERI positron Or policy "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHIS M ERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTEDBY kLU TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER(ERIC).- teaching global issues Food & Environment "Looking to the year 2000 and beyond, the global To the teacher food system must be managed to secure 3 to 4 per The global food system is one of paradox. Western farmers increase their efficiency cent annual increases in production, which must be per acre, but at a cost in energy and re- sustainable economically, socially and ecologically. sources which cannot be sustained. Farmers in If this proves possible over the next25, 50, 100 years, the south, crippled by increasing pressures on the land (including the pressure to produce for humankind should be able to support itself indefi- export to the west) increasingly plunder their nitely, given the anticipated slowing of population land ard forests.The resutt? In the north, enormous food surpluses and eroded land. In growth.But can the global food system be so the south, hungry people and eroded land. This managed?" (Food 2000) issue of Teachergram examines the ins and outs of today's food production system in B.C. and the Right now, the world grows enough food to feed itself. This doesn't world, and challenges students to think of crea- mean that everyone gets fed; every year, 13 to 18 million people die from tive, sustainable alternatives. hunger and hunger-related diseases, and over 500 million people are chronically hungry. This is a problem, not of food availability, but of food . itj;3 'elt,oVV,fli.., ,....(0,,wtc-,4; distribution, and the inability of poor people to buy food. ;if..." A, . , .._>. ..,..., ._.,...t..... la ;41e ,:.. :. 4,.. P.1.7' 9.40 S.'1: But more and more, people are beginning to look at not just what we're ii Vi, - t , :,...s.d -%'.1 (C.. 11...,..Ai ... o 4.1. 4 N kik'' .1.7-;,.. producing, but how we're producing it. Increasingly, our present system ..-.f v.±.,4 l..q....,...s-1.,,.....:::,* ,..,ON .i-- ...,:.s. f A 3'44 I i.t.,..... ..::.-..,. .t. -,,,i. of food production is being looked at in terms of sustainability. We're Ass,..., %le.... ..., ,. , 1; -;k4,' t , ...; producing food, all right, but what are we doing to the earth? At what cost .0 . are present systems of food production being maintained? How long can 1 we continue to maintain them? Tough questions about sustainable devel- 40..,....:. , -- opment are raised every time we open our mouths to take a bite. On October As:c. .sigr 16 World Food Day people around the world are being asked to think about how the food choices they make, both as individuals and as nations, tit. 1.4illii.--_141 .. affect the kind of environment we will have in the year 2000. (F...1';-:-. ..14 % ik"°3 i' 1 .4.". Viti ... litilet^ I RAISING FOOD IN THE FIRST WORLD . ., . 't % .:-. The Factory Farm Remember Old Macdonald? With his extensive assortment of animals, `,.. .. A ...At '11 .. Old Macdonald epitomizes the picture many of us have of farms. He was 4r, .* a mixed farmer, growing both feed for his animals and grains for human .{.3..i..4.......6- consumption. His main methods of maintaining soil fertility were the use UNEP cartoon far florid Efrvireaxwai Day 1961 printed on recycledpaper 3 Teachergram may becopied for classroom us.e. 41 2 Teachergram Fall 1989 of natural fertilizers manure from his environmental' degradation capita climbed from 5 kg in 1950 to 25 kg animals, mulch from his crops and the in 1983. Do all these goodies go into the rotation of crops to repienish soil nutri- hitting the dust veggies we eat? The answer is no. For ents. While Old Macdonald's old-fashioned instance, only 10% of nitrogen added to Up until World War II, he would have method of crop rotation took more labour land actually ends up in the crop. The rest done fine.Now, however, if Old than new highly mechanized, chemical- goes elsewhereoften into nearby water Macdonald is still around he has either: input methods, it kept the topsoil down sources. Ever wonder why some of your sold his animals, enlarged his land and restored nutrients to the soil. From favourite swimming spots are sprouting holdings, and adopted a mechanized form 1960 to 1980 in Canada, the ratio of nutri- luxuriant new crops of weed? The answer of farming which relies heavily on large ents contained in agricultural crops to the may be eutrophication, the stimulation of inputs of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, nutrients contained in the fertilizer ap- aquatic plants by run-off of nitrogen and and petroleum to run his machinery; plied to the land declined from 3.55 to phosphates from fertilizers.In Canada, moved to the "factory production" of 1.04. In other words, in 1960 if you spread more than two-thirds of the algae-promot- one type of animal poultry, pigs, beef one unit of nutrient nitrogen, phospho- ing phosphorus entering Lake Erie from which are raised in crowded condi- rous, or potassium on your land, you Ontario can be attributed to runoff and tions, requiring high inputs of energy, got 3.55 units of nutrient back in the crop, erosion from agricultural land. antibiotics and hormones to keep Sales of chemicals to control pests and them healthy in such conditions disease have risen 32-fold in 35 and growing fast. The manure years. In the U.S., synthetic fer- from Old Macdonald's animal "The energy required to feed one person in tilizers and pestic ides are respon- farm, far from being a benefit to the U.S. is more than 310 gal. of petroleum sible for over half of all water aid in growing his crops, has pollution. now become a waste problem, a year. If we were to attempt to feed the often flushed into nearby rivers entire world's population at that level of "improving" pests and lakes; energy consumption, all known petroleum Tinkering with the finely-tuned sold out and moved to the balance of nature can sometimes city. supplies would be used up in about 10 lead to surprising results. Often, killing off a group of predators Whether he's raising grains or years." means a population explosion animals, New Macdonald's (Jon Bennett, The Hunger Machine, 1987) high-input style of farming is further down the line. Some- creating a long list of new envi- times target pests respond to pes- ticides by developing pesticide ronmental problems. oecause nutrients were provided naturally resistance; the number of pesticide resis- by the soil, enriched by decades of crop tant species worldwide jumped from 25 in rotation and natural fertilizers. In 1980, 1974 to 432 in 1980. you would only get 1.04 units of crop Agriculture now uses more non-renew- nutrient, or just about what you put in. In "Spraying powelful poisons that able petroleum than any other single in- B.C., the figure is .98; when we put in a kill all exposed insects is no more dustry in the USA. Petroleum products are unit of fertilizer nutrient, we're getting "management" of pests than kill- used not just to power machines, but also less than a unit of crop nutrient. The soil in the content of nitrogen fertilizers. It is has lost much of its nutrient content. In ing everyone inNewY ork city would estimated that on the average Canadians 1986, the Science Council of Canada be managing urban crime." consume fewer than I million calories of announced that.: (David Suzuki, Globe & Mail, April 9/88) food energy a year. To produce that, the "soil degradation is an ongoing, in- agricultural industry uses about two mil- sidious problem that occurs in all lion calories of petroleum products alone, parts of the country at a cost of over not counting the 12 trillion calories needed $3.0 million per day.
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